<![CDATA[Kotaku: Eu]]> http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: Eu]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/eu http://kotaku.com/tag/eu <![CDATA[Activision Blizzard Loses An Ancient European Court Appeal]]> In 2009, the EU let Nintendo (slightly) off the hook when it reduced the company's fine for engaging in price-fixing during the 1990's. Well, Activision asked for a similar reduction in its fine (same case), and has been denied. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5756800&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Europe Now A Bigger Gaming Market Than The US]]> Europe, take a bow. That Nielsen report from the other day, the one which gave us all kinds of neat statistics on European gamers, also gives us one piece of information that's much more important: the fact that Europe has overtaken the US in terms of market size. And not even all of Europe, just the European Union, since Nielsen's poll only included countries from the continental body. Turns out that in 2007, gaming pulled in $11.4 billion in the EU, compared to "only" $10.7 billion in the US. That figure puts the EU second only to Asia in terms of size, where $11.5 billion in gaming revenue was generated during 2007. The figure's probably skewed by the fact there are nearly 500,000,000 people in the EU, who in US dollar terms are paying almost double what Americans are, but hey, we're here for numbers, not nitpicking. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5011543&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[EU Approves France's Game Tax Credit]]> Way back in February of this year the French Parliament approved a plan to allow companies creating video games with a "cultural dimension" a 20% tax credit on development costs, a credit long enjoyed by the film industry in that country. Now the European Commission has approved the plan for a period of four years for games that meet the "criteria of quality, originality and contribute to cultural diversity." While the plan had initially excluded subcontracting costs, France has accepted the commission's request to include such costs as a way of making sure the rest of the European Union can benefit from the new policy. The EU will more than likely be closely monitoring what games benefit from the credit. EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes is watching.
"We must be sure that the measure will promote only genuine cultural projects and that it will not have the effect of an industrial policy instrument in favour of the videogames sector."
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]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=332904&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[EU Attempting Stricter Rules on Sale of Violent Games]]> European Union justice ministers are in talks today to discuss a standardized way of regulating the sale of "killer games" (they're like bees, you see) to children. The hope is to introduce a list of penalties against retailers in selling violent videogames to minors. However, it is up to each country of the Union to decide what is too violent for their own country: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=268363&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[UK Court of Appeals Says PS2 Is Not A Computer]]> Uh oh! This story might mark the end of Ken Kutaragi's wacky "The PS3 is a computer!" quotes. Because the UK Court of Appeal, in a fantastic legal fatality, has stomped down hard on Sony's flailing spine, denying that the PS2 qualifies as a home computer. More »
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